star wars : episode i

A TH E OLOGY OF
STAR WARS
As a Star Wars-obsessed child in the early 1980s, I would hear rumors that George Lucas
envisioned his space saga to be part of an epic, nine-movie cycle. As I mourned the “end” of the
series in 1983, with the release of Return of the Jedi, I could only hope that those rumors would
someday prove true.
So they have, first with the trilogy of prequels, released between 1999 and 2005, and now with
2015's Star Wars: Episode VII – The Force Awakens. It’s a Star Wars world once again; we’re just
geeking in it.
Watching the original movies as a kid, I didn’t much associate their fantastical stories with the
Biblical narratives I learned at church. Sure, there was good and evil, as well as some vaguely
spiritual notion of “the Force,” but in my mind Star Wars and faith were entirely separate things.
Clearly I’ve changed my opinion on that, considering I now edit Think Christian, a faith-andculture website that proudly claims there is “no such thing as secular.” So, as soon as news
broke about plans for The Force Awakens, I knew it would be occasion to turn TC’s distinctive
theological lens – with our emphasis on common grace and God’s sovereignty over all things –
toward one of the most dominate film franchises in history.
We’re thrilled to have gathered some of the sharpest thinkers on faith and popular culture to
participate in this endeavor. The result is this collection of seven essays, one on each of the films
in the ongoing series:
• I’ll kick things off where it all began, discussing the sense of scale in 1977’s A New Hope
• Fuller Seminary’s Roslyn Hernandez weighs in on the theme of rebirth in The Empire
Strikes Back
• Mockingbird’s David Zahl offers a defense of Jedi’s much-maligned Ewoks
• Christ and Pop Culture’s Kevin McLenithan explores Attack of the Clones’ atypical stance
on violence
• Think Christian’s own Donna Bowman wonders what Phantom Menace’s midi-chlorians
can tell us about God’s election
• Elijah Davidson, of Fuller Seminary’s Reel Spirituality, winds things up with his look at
calling and community in Revenge of the Sith
• And I’ll wrap things up with a consideration of the role of masks in The Force Awakens
True to Think Christian form, each of these essays will weave theology into their consideration of
the film at hand. This may be the first time Jabba the Hutt and Han Solo are mentioned alongside
Jurgen Moltmann and Walter Brueggemann. Yet one of the reasons Star Wars has persisted in
the cultural imagination, far beyond the daydreams of a little boy in the early 1980s, is because
these movies do indeed speak Biblical truths in their own imaginative ways. Let’s tease those
truths out together, as we eagerly await Episode VIII.
— JOSH LARSEN
STAR WARS : E PISODE I V
THE SCALE OF HOPE
by
JOSH LARSEN
After the last words of the iconic opening crawl drift
upon an umpteenth revisit of A New Hope, I noticed
off into deep space, the camera pans down to take in
a theology that was much more tactile. In its use of
the horizon of the planet below. Suddenly a spaceship
models and sets, in the composition of its frames
races onto the screen, traveling away from us in
and even in the occasional snippet of dialogue (Leia
an attempt to out-pace ensuing blaster fire. Then,
to Luke in disguise: “Aren’t you a little short for a
it arrives on the scene: another ship, so huge as it
Stormtrooper?”), the movie consistently defines
enters the frame from above that it dwarfs the first
its vision of hope in terms of scale. Hope in Episode
vessel and threatens to obscure the entire planet.
IV is almost always placed in direct contrast to
Hulking and intimidating, the fittingly named craft is
overwhelming objects of oppression.
an Imperial Star Destroyer.
German theologian Jurgen Moltmann described
THE “HOPE” OF THE MOVIE’S
TITLE MAY BE NEW, BUT IT’S
CONSIDERABLY OUTGUNNED
Christian hope somewhat similarly. For Moltmann, our
hope could not be separated from our suffering. He
saw hope as a crucial tenet of Christianity not simply
because it represented our yearning for the new
creation, but because it also provided an impetus for
Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope opens with rebels
contemporary Christian action (rebellion?) in a world
on the run and a towering figure in black on their tail.
still tainted by sin. In his introduction to A Theology of
Darth Vader’s Star Destroyer eventually captures the
Hope, he wrote that “From first to last, and not merely
rebel ship, allowing him to board with his legion of
the epilogue, Christianity is eschatology, is hope,
Stormtroopers. The “hope” of the movie’s title may be
forward looking and forward moving, and therefore
new, but it’s considerably outgunned.
also revolutionizing and transforming the present.”
If A New Hope was a silent film (an appealing prospect,
Even if Moltmann saw hope as a guiding light, he didn’t
given young Skywalker’s whiny pitch), the imagery
describe it as a blazing one. Instead, hope was small,
alone would convey that this is a story of unlikely
“…the passionate suffering and passionate longing
heroes overcoming great odds. Consider how
kindled by the Messiah.” It is, in Star Wars’ visual
frequently Star Destroyers dominate the mise en
terms, Obi-Wan’s flickering, pale blue lightsaber just
scène, often by entering and overwhelming the frame.
before he succumbs to Vader’s strong, red glare.
Or, conversely, think of how the robot duo of C-3P0
It is something like Luke’s description of his home
and R2-D2 register as tiny dots while wandering the
planet of Tatooine: “If there is a bright center of the
widescreen desert landscape of Tatooine. Even the
universe, you’re on the planet it’s farthest from.” Yet
hologram distress message carried by R2 is small:
that is precisely the place from which the movie’s hope
when Princess Leia’s image is projected onto the floor
springs.
(“Help me Obi-Wan Kenobi … You’re my only hope”), it’s
only a few inches tall.
In his commentary on Hebrews 11:1, John Calvin
notes the role of hope amidst the often overwhelming
Much has been written about the spirituality of Star
realities of this world.
Wars, especially concerning the mysterious Force
that acts as a guiding presence in the universe. But
“We are promised an abundance of all good things, but
4
we are often hungry and thirsty; God proclaims that
fighter against that?” Indeed, when Luke and the
He will come to us immediately, but seems to be deaf
others approach the Death Star, their X-wing fighters
to our cries. What would happen to us if we did not rely
look like tiny mosquitoes in comparison. And in
on our hope, and if our minds did not emerge above the
keeping with the film’s thematic sense of scale, the
world out of the midst of darkness through the shining
target the rebels must hit is improbably small.
Word of God and by His Spirit?”
In Romans, Paul speaks of hope not as something
Perhaps this is why Episode IV’s climactic explosion
massive and assured, but as something barely
of the Death Star at the hand of the Rebel Alliance
glimpsed: “But hope that is seen is no hope at all. Who
is so cathartic. A looming orb, the Death Star is so
hopes for what they already have? But if we hope for
gargantuan and powerful it’s capable of incinerating
what we do not yet have, we wait for it patiently.” This
planets. As the rebel leaders lay out the attack
is the scale of hope: a flicker in the universe, yet one
strategy, a pilot scoffs, “What good is a small stunt
that nonetheless turns the universe on its head.
Josh Larsen is editor of Think Christian. He also writes about
movies at LarsenOnFilm and is the co-host of Filmspotting.
EP IV
5
STAR WARS : E PISODE V
BEGINNING IN THE MIDDLE OF THINGS
by
ROSLYN HERNANDEZ
In Star Wars: Episode V – The Empire Strikes Back,
learn to live with the staggering freedom of being fully
George Lucas once again thrusts us into the middle of
the beloved. That birth in turn entails love of the light,
the action. Time has passed since the end of Episode
to be ruled out of the world of calculation into utter
IV. We do not see the Imperial fleet destroy the rebel
gospel-given, peaceable freedom and well-being.”
base from that film, nor do we see the scouting and
building of their new base on the planet Hoth. Instead,
In Luke’s case, his rebirth after Dagobah is a time to
we are enlightened by the iconic opening crawl – the
publicly begin a new life, to be born into a peculiar
film equivalent of a friend hurriedly whispering what
family, to be born through the Force, to leave his anger
you need to know before the movie begins. This use
behind, to be redeemed of his past personal sins
of in medias res narration places viewers in a state of
and – unbeknownst to him (although foreshadowed in
expectant uncertainty. And in this moment of tension,
the cave at Dagobah) – of generational sin. Similarly,
after the last words disappear off the screen, we are
as individual followers of Christ, we make our death
cast into space, alongside one of Darth Vader’s search
to the world public through the rebirth of baptism.
probes as it heads for a crash landing on Hoth. The
We accept our new identity as God’s beloved. We are
rebels are in danger.
adopted into the family of God and we emerge to live
As the film commences, we only see the broad strokes
to do so in a personal and private manner, which is
of the story; we know only the middle and are dragged
along to the end. What’s more, this notion of beginning
in the middle of things is repeatedly explored in the
film through the symbolism of rebirth. Early in the
film, Luke Skywalker is “reborn” when he violently
crawls his way out from the wampa’s cave. Found by
Han Solo, he’s placed in a tauntaun’s abdomen to keep
from freezing to death.
Luke’s second rebirth is the result of a challenging
gestation period on Dagobah, where Yoda trains him
in the ways of the Force. It is a birth that will bring
him into a new life – birthed perhaps prematurely but
definitely strong – and into a time when he is much
needed and expected.
In his sermon, “Birthed Public and Peculiar,” Walter
Brueggemann twice mentions the concept of rebirth.
The first is in reference to Nicodemus’ question, “How
can someone be born when they are old?” in John
a new life in Christ. However, we may be inclined
something Brueggemann would discourage.
Brueggemann’s second reference to rebirth compares
the modern church to Israel and quotes Hosea 13:13:
“The pangs of childbirth come for him, but he is an
unwise son; for at the proper time he does not present
himself at the mouth of the womb.” Brueggemann
states, “[It] is a time for the church, the people of God,
to go public with its peculiar identity. I say this to you
because of the urgency of this epiphany caught, as we
are, between secular self-indulgence and frightened
moralism, either of which is safe, but both of which
miss the point, not visible, not at risk, not mattering.
But of course the world waits for the birth.”
LUKE IS REBORN INTO A
TIME WHEN THE GALAXY
DESPERATELY NEEDS WHAT HE
CAN BECOME
3:4. “I speak to you about being born, first birthed,
and then birthed peculiarly, publicly,” Brueggemann
Unlike Han Solo, who is looking to leave the rebels and
wrote. “Being born again peculiarly – and public – is to
cowers from leadership in an effort to save himself,
7
Luke is eagerly and courageously reborn into a time
timely. In this time of rampant egocentrism, in the
when the galaxy desperately needs the possibility of
midst of desperate need and with the world waiting
what he can become. He is thus reborn, not only for
for us to be born, may we act upon the power and
himself but as an integral part of the rebellion and as
command of our spiritual rebirth, may we be born for
a hope for all those threatened by the oppression of
others and may we be born into action. May we have
the Empire. Similarly, Hosea 13:13 and Brueggemann’s
the courage to be born publicly and peculiarly into the
exhortation to the church cannot be more direct and
middle of things.
Roslyn M. Hernandez is a student at Fuller Theological Seminary seeking
God’s calling for her life. She graduated from UCSB with a double major
in Film and Media Studies and Spanish and a minor in Art History. She
enjoys films, reading, photography, art, hiking and living a foodie life.
EP V
8
STAR WARS : E PISODE VI
CAN ANYTHING GOOD COME FROM ENDOR?
by
DAVID ZAHL
Poor Return of the Jedi. Somehow it has become
line goes like this: the Ewoks are the first indication of
the Rodney Dangerfield of the original trilogy (“no
the infantilizing tendencies that Lucas would let bloom
respect!”), routinely ranked by fans as the least
in the prequels, a cuddly toxin that would come to all
favored installment. On lists that include the prequels,
but destroy our beloved galaxy. Or worse, they are
it sometimes falls below Revenge of the Sith. Those
evidence of a prioritization of licensing opportunities
who have re-watched Revenge of the Sith recently know
over story, revenue over content.
that is no minor slight.
While tonally the introduction of the Ewoks may
I’d like to believe that there is something in my
indeed be a bit jarring, especially so late in the game,
Christian DNA that compels me to defend the
they are far from a liability. They may even represent
indefensible, love the loveless and stick up for the
the theological lynchpin to the saga’s conclusion. If
marginalized, even in an seemingly silly way. Alas,
nothing else, Wicket and company provide an object
my affinity for Star Wars: Episode VI – Return of the
lesson – on numerous levels – in what we might call
Jedi probably has more to do with a sentimental
The Nazareth Principle.
attachment, as it was the first non-animated movie I
saw in theaters. Of course, if I truly cared about the
The Nazareth Principle refers to John 1:46, where
least of these, I would be writing about Attack of the
Nathanael scoffs at Jesus by asking, “Can anything
Clones. Some sand is too coarse.
good come from Nazareth?” The not-so-subtle
message was that humble Nazareth, in rural Galilee,
There are plenty of paths a theological defense of
was known for its “mixed blood” and suspect practice
Return of the Jedi could take. We could zero in on the
of Judaism. Being that Nazareth was the hometown
most profound 10 seconds of the entire series: the
of our favorite carpenter, didn’t that disqualify Him
climactic moment in the Emperor’s throne room when
from being the real thing? Obviously not. In fact, the
Vader casts his lot with his son. We could examine
Bible sets a powerful precedent for good things – the
the redemption of Lando Calrissian, especially the
best things even – coming from unlikely places. Out
leap of faith he takes vis-à-vis his friend and forgiver,
of trouble and wounds, disappointments and closed
Han Solo (“He’ll have that shield down in time”). We
doors, the actual breakthroughs of life often arrive.
could even dive into Yoda’s deathbed soliloquy about
When we talk about strength in weakness, we are
the source of true power, a monologue which remains
surprisingly resonant all these years later.
talking about the Nazareth Principle.
The original trilogy is rife with The Nazareth Principle.
THE EWOKS MAY REPRESENT
THE THEOLOGICAL LYNCHPIN
TO THE SAGA’S CONCLUSION
Tatooine, the origin of our rebel hero, has a distinctly
Nazareth quality – a backwater planet barely able
to support life, a far cry from the Jerusalem of
metropolitan Coruscant. The rebel alliance itself is a
ragtag group, unglamorous to the max, comprised of
Ultimately, though, you can’t defend Return of the Jedi
misfits and their refurbished weaponry, the galactic
from any direction unless you first tackle the wampa
equivalents of fishermen and tax collectors. Han Solo
in the room. I’m referring to the Ewoks, the target of
is a smuggler. Luke Skywalker is the “son” of humble
most of the ridicule lodged at Jedi. The adversary’s
moisture farmers. Even so, next to the wooden, hand-
10
sewn arsenal of the Ewoks, the motley rebels and
There is one final aspect of Ewok brilliance that
their junky starships look pretty impressive.
warrants a mention. Just before the closing battle
begins, in a scene that lesser filmmakers might
If Jedi is the Nazareth of the original trilogy, then the
have left on the cutting room floor, C-3PO recounts
derided Ewoks are the Nazareth of Jedi. The key to
the rebels’ adventures to an audience of their furry
the Empire’s defeat comes from the least likely place
friends. The Ewoks listen with utter delight, like the
imaginable. Not at the hands of pristine, well-trained
wide-eyed children they are. It turns out they find the
soldiers, but from an unorganized group of primitive
whole tale just as wondrous and enveloping as we do.
goofballs, essentially Lucas’ version of Hobbits. To
For a split second, the Ewoks are us, recipients of a
invoke more Tolkien imagery, the battle of Endor
gift beyond their wildest imagination. Their part in the
would have felt like far less of a eucatastrophe had
story may be small – it may even seem to detract from
it been Wookies trying to take control of the shield
the greater glory – but perhaps that is what makes it
generator. To paraphrase Han Solo, short help proves
so precious.
to be much better than no help at all.
All this to say, the denizens of Endor may not be so
What’s more, the Ewoks prove themselves to be
different from those of Nazareth. Unpopular and even
much-needed agents of grace in a universe filled with
offensive, their power runs against the grain of human
struggle. Think about it: no character suffers more
instinct, inseparable from humility and abounding in
abuse in the original trilogy than C-3PO. Only the
foolishness. At least, until it blows the doors off your
Ewoks treat the irritating, anxious protocol droid with
bunker and lowers your defensive shields. Which is
care and respect. They go so far as to venerate him as
good enough news to make even the fiercest bounty
a god! In fact, they flip the entire hierarchy on its head,
hunter say “amen” – or “yub nub,” as the case may be.
relegating the rebel’s top leaders, Luke and Han, to
dinner ingredients. The first shall be last, indeed.
David Zahl is the director of Mockingbird Ministries and
editor-in-chief of the Mockingbird blog.
EP VI
11
STAR WARS : E PISODE I
MAKING SENSE OF MIDI-CHLORIANS
by
DONNA BOWMAN
If there was a Spectrum of Awesomeness for Star
notion offensive. For him, God’s election of individuals
Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace, it would run
could have nothing to do with rewarding their willing
from Darth Maul on one end (awesome) to Jar Jar
assent or even recognizing their potential. Instead,
Binks on the other (crime against humanity). Most fans
it could only be the present consequence of a divine
would put midi-chlorians – the blood-borne symbiotes
pleasure which, before time began, marked them for a
that mediate the Force in all living creatures –
specific fate.
somewhere on the Jar Jar end of things. We first learn
of midi-chlorians when Qui-Gon Jinn finds young
But the idea that having a concentrated substance
Anakin Skywalker pod racing with the help of the
in your blood could make you spiritually gifted runs
Force. On the evidence of a blood sample, Qui-Gon
counter to Paul’s understanding of the Gospel as a
reports to the Jedi Council that Anakin’s midi-chlorian
pathway to Gentile inclusion in the family of God. We
count is off the charts, the highest ever recorded.
who do not have the blood of Abraham in our veins,
More midi-chlorians, more access to the Force.
nevertheless through adoption become brothers and
sisters of God’s only-begotten.
This explanation of Force-wielding talent strikes many
fans as unnecessary, at best, and uncomfortably
reminiscent of Nazi Aryanism at worst. Pure blood,
strong blood, elite blood – the idea that access to
power comes through something in one’s biology
troubles us deeply. In one sense, midi-chlorians
are merely a scientific facade for a near-universal
element of the mythic “hero’s journey” – the Chosen
One. We find these Chosen Ones everywhere there’s
a quest to be undertaken and a world to save. Often,
they do not choose themselves; some force – ancient
prophecy, galactic guardians, miraculous ancestry
– marks them for greatness. The world of myth is
not a meritocracy. Its heroes are born to their fame
and fate; our role is to recognize and facilitate their
singular effort. We are not the one we are all waiting
for, and the proof is in our pedestrian blood.
Of course, Paul recognizes that people do have
special talents, which he describes as spiritual gifts,
bestowed diversely on the redeemed to equip them
for the various labors of the divine mission. He insists,
however, that the gifts are not hierarchical, railing
(perhaps futilely) against churches where possessing
particular gifts bestows “Chosen One” status. Our
democratic sensibilities agree, at least in principle. We
prefer to see difference in talent as special graces, not
inherent differences that separate us at birth.
THE MIDI-CHLORIANS REVEAL A
DEEPLY CONFLICTED ATTITUDE
TOWARD EGALITARIAN VALUES
AND STRUCTURES
The pesky American ideal of opportunity, where
Say what you like about the missteps of the Star Wars
anybody can grow up to be president, doesn’t square
prequels, but one virtue is undeniable. As works
easily with this archetype. In popular Christian
over which George Lucas exercised total creative
theology, too, we treasure the idea that the great
control, they function as a crystalline window into
heroes of the faith – such as Jesus’ disciples, plucked
their creator’s imagination. And what the midi-
from their fishing boats – were ordinary Joes before
chlorians reveal is a deeply conflicted attitude
they said yes to the call, and only thereafter were
toward egalitarian values and structures. Everyone
empowered with grace. But John Calvin found this
lives by the power of the Force, but sensitivity to it
13
and the channeling of it are not available to all. The
guaranteeing their mythic triumph and downplaying
midi-chlorians mediate the Force to all living things,
their human frailty.
but some get more of them – and therefore more
of it – than others. Christian theology wrestles with
That’s where Lucas could still surprise us, though.
this same irritating tension between our equality in
Qui-Gon seems to have been wrong to trust in the
an existential situation – standing before a just but
midi-chlorians as a signpost to the Chosen One.
merciful God – and the temptation to view some of us
Anakin will not bring balance to the Force, at least
as better equipped to handle that situation than others.
not directly. Maybe the heroes who emerge in the
Ascribing Chosen One status to Jesus, for example, or
final trilogy will acquire their talents, and exhibit their
the heroic apostles in Acts, has the Docetic effect of
election in a way that sheds a different light on these
much-mocked midi-chlorians.
Donna Bowman is a theologian and professor at the University
of Central Arkansas. She has also written about television and
popular culture for The A.V. Club.
EP I
14
STAR WARS : E PISODE I I
HE WHO LIVES BY THE LIGHTSABER…
by
KEVIN McLENITHAN
Pity the storyteller who – having sketched the faint
In this symbolic world, wars and fightings are caused
outlines of a quasi-Buddhist guild that also once
by divided and unholy desires within the individual.”
served as a sort of pan-galactic Ministry of Defense
For Hays, the task of the church is “to train disciples
– subsequently resolves to depict in detail how such
in the disciplines necessary to resist the seductions of
a thing could function at all. George Lucas never was
violence.”
a filmmaker to shrink from a challenge, though, and
thus was begotten Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the
Clones.
In Clones, Lucas finally has the time and space to flesh
out his Galactic Republic and the Jedi along with it.
THE JEDI SEEM TO HAVE
CAUGHT FANBOY ENTHUSIASM
FOR THEIR CANDY-COLORED
WEAPONS LIKE A HEAD COLD
The resulting portrait of the Jedi is, if not the definitive
depiction of the warrior monks, at least a logical
depiction of them. Unfortunately, Lucas employs the
dull logic of power, and it is an uneasy fit for the Jedi,
whom we once knew and maybe loved, if only on a
surface level.
It’s odd to learn that the quiet hermits-in-exile we
knew from the original trilogy were once arguably
draconian enforcers of a certain societal order. The
Jedi are quick to go for their lightsabers in Attack of
the Clones. While that’s not necessarily a bad thing in
a space-adventure movie, it’s certainly unfortunate
for a space-adventure series that spends much
By this standard, Lucas’ Jedi Council utterly fails to
guide its Padawans. Who could blame them, when the
lightsaber – which may be the coolest instrument of
death ever conceived by the cinema – is so incredibly
seductive? The Jedi seem to have caught fanboy
enthusiasm for their candy-colored weapons like
a head cold. Obi-Wan Kenobi tells his hotheaded
pupil Anakin that “this weapon is your life!” Even old
masters are not immune; the confrontation between
Yoda and Count Dooku reaches its apotheosis when
they set the Force aside and start swinging their
sabers.
of its time setting up these figures as beneficent
Unfortunately, this propensity toward violence creates
peacekeepers. In Clones, the Jedi are quick to pay lip
an unresolvable tension at the film’s heart. Lucas has
service to their political neutrality and reluctance to
trained his audience to be thrilled by the lightsaber
fight, but they seem just as quick to engage in (to use
and the derring-do that it makes possible, but in doing
Anakin Skywalker’s phrase) “negotiations with the
so he betrays a certain attitude toward violence that
lightsaber.” Individual violence is a tool to be deployed
is incompatible with the Jedi’s peace-loving ways. For
at one’s discretion. “Use the Force” means multiple
a succinct summation of that attitude, look no further
things for these Jedi.
than Padme’s hilariously blasé response to Anakin’s
confession that he’s slaughtered an entire village of
Questions surrounding the ethics of conflict have
Tusken Raiders: “To be angry is to be human, Anakin.”
always bedeviled nonviolent religions, of course.
Oh well!
As Christians, we are to eschew worldly power and
embrace the power made perfect in weakness.
Natalie Portman’s performance as Padme is
Pacifist theologian Richard Hays writes that “the
fascinating. Her facial expression and body language
power of violence is the illusory power of the Beast. …
convey the shocked horror that is the natural reaction
16
to such a confession, but those nonverbal cues don’t
There is a poignant moment in Clones’ coliseum battle
correspond with the bland platitudes leaving her
scene that foreshadows the series’ evolving view of
mouth. This is a microcosm of the dissonance in
violence. One brief camera shot provides a second’s
the film’s treatment of violence: actions and words
respite from all the spectacular fighting. The young
totally at odds with each other. The audience could be
Boba Fett crouches over his father’s head, which Jedi
excused for drawing the conclusion that Anakin’s true
Master Mace Windu has recently severed from its
sin is not the killing itself, but rather the fact that he
body without even breaking a sweat. The child is shot
killed out of anger, rather than dispassionately as his
in profile – almost in silhouette – as he picks up the
superiors in the Jedi Council do.
head and presses it to his own forehead. It’s a striking
image both of grief and of the momentous transmittal
As for those older and wiser Jedi – what changed
of a legacy of violence. The child will eventually put
between the original trilogy and Attack of the Clones?
on his father’s mantle, and he will not forget how that
The Obi-Wan who sacrificed his life in his duel with
mantle was passed on to him.
Vader now equates a lethal weapon with life itself.
Yoda goes from scorning the battlefield entirely
This moment suggests that Lucas understands the
(“Wars make not one great”) to heroically commanding
gravity of all the exciting lightsaber carnage he dishes
battlefield maneuvers (“Around the survivors a
up in Attack of the Clones. He recognizes that violence
perimeter create!”). Is this just sloppy storytelling?
begets violence. The nonviolent Jedi of Lucas’ original
trilogy do not mutate into the autocratic guardian-
Of course not, for as we all know, this is not the
soldiers of the prequels, but instead age and change
chronology of the story. To understand the Jedi this
over time into the nonviolent sages we met in A New
way would be to get the progression backward.
Hope. Perhaps the Jedi we first loved learned to rue
violence and war only once they discovered what it was
like to be on the losing end of the saber.
Kevin McLenithan is co-host of Seeing and Believing, a Christ &
Pop Culture podcast about film and television.
EP II
17
STAR WARS : E PISODE I I I
FALSE FAMILY TIES
by
ELIJAH DAVIDSON
Emperor Palpatine is a snake. As Star Wars: Episode
III – Revenge of the Sith begins, he has successfully
taken over the Galactic Senate and amassed his
own army of clone troopers. Soon he manages to
abolish the democratic process entirely and establish
a dictatorship in its place. He’s also manipulating
both sides of an intergalactic war, subtly luring an
impressionable young Jedi to the Sith cause, while
keeping all of this hidden from the not-so-all-seeing
Jedi Council. The Sith prove to be more powerful than
anyone thought possible.
As for the Jedi, they prove to be more limited than
anyone thought possible. Not only are they unable
to see through the Sith’s plot, their philosophy
also proves completely insufficient to help Anakin
Skywalker, the young Jedi, grieve the death of his
mother and express his love for Padme. Anakin goes
to Yoda for advice and Yoda tells him to “let go of
everything you fear to lose.” The Jedi exhibit little
sensitivity toward Anakin and force him to choose
between his calling and his true love. Ultimately,
this lack of compassion is what leads to their near
destruction.
Anakin turns next to Emperor Palpatine for advice.
Serpent that he is, Palpatine tells Anakin that the Sith
ALL OF STAR WARS COMES
DOWN TO A MAN TORN
BETWEEN FULFILLING
HIS CALLING OR LIVING A
PEACEFUL LIFE WITH THE
WOMAN HE LOVES
After all those pod races, clone armies, and Jedi
training, all of Star Wars comes down to a man torn
between fulfilling his calling or living a peaceful life
with the woman he loves. Anakin/Vader’s anguished
“Nooo!” near the film’s end is as much a cry of distress
over not being able to reconcile the two halves of his
heart as it is an expression of grief over his loss of
Padme. At that point, why not build a Death Star and
destroy worlds? If the galaxy can’t find space for both
calling and companionship, of what use is it?
Fortunately, we don’t live “a long time ago in a galaxy
far, far away.” We live in a world to which Christ has
come. Jesus was able to redefine both calling and
community in a way that allows each to include the
other.
When Jesus’ biological mother and brothers came to
see Him and interrupt His ministry, He asked, “Who
possess the knowledge of how to transcend death
is my mother, and who are my brothers?” Pointing
and save Padme’s life. Of course, this is a sinuous lie.
to His disciples, He said, “These are my mother and
Darth Sidious wants the powerful Anakin at his side,
brothers. For whoever does the will of my Father in
and he can’t have Anakin’s loyalties split between his
heaven is my brother and sister and mother.” Jesus
destiny and his desire any more than the Jedi can.
expanded the scope of what a family is to include
Eventually Anakin uncovers Palpatine’s true nature,
anyone who participates in the Kingdom of God.
but the temptation of power is still strong. In the
movie’s climax, as the Jedi are descending upon the
In a 2007 sermon on singleness, John Piper had
Emperor, Anakin broods over his options: be true
this to say about Jesus’ words: “Jesus is turning
to his calling, forget Padme and let the Jedi stop
everything around. Yes, he loved his mother and his
Palpatine or abandon his Jedi code, join the Sith and
brothers. But those are all natural and temporary
hope to live a long, happy life with his love.
relationships. He did not come into the world to focus
19
on that. He came into the world to call out a people
To put Christ first is to get both a calling and a family,
for His name from all the families into a new family. …
something not even the Jedi, with their monastic
Single person, married person, do you want children,
demands, could offer. Christ crushes the serpent’s
mothers, brothers, sisters, lands? Renounce the
head and turns the Emperor’s lies into truths. If only
primacy of your natural relationships and follow Jesus
the Force was as powerful, then perhaps Anakin could
into the fellowship of the people of God.”
have found peace after all.
Elijah Davidson is Co-Director of Reel Spirituality at Fuller
Theological Seminary. He lives with his wife, Krista, near Denver,
Colo., where they go up into the mountains as often as possible.
EP III
20
STAR WARS : E PISODE VI I
MYTHS & MASKS
by
JOSH LARSEN
If you’re ever cast in a Star Wars movie, chances are
you’ll end up wearing a mask. From Darth Vader in
A New Hope to Jango Fett in Attack of the Clones, this
particular piece of costume design has been one of the
series’ recurring visual motifs. In fact, the epic tale
could hardly be told without them.
Although Star Wars’ heroes have donned masks on
occasion (recall Luke posing as a Stormtrooper in
MASKS MYTHOLOGIZE,
ALLOWING US TO PRESENT A
FACE TO THE WORLD THAT IS
FAR GRANDER, IMPRESSIVE
OR INTIMIDATING THAN THE
FLAWED ONE WITH WHICH WE
WERE BORN
A New Hope or Lando Calrissian wearing a toothy
faceguard to infiltrate Jabba the Hutt’s lair in Return of
wearers to act inhumanely (ergo Stormtroopers)
the Jedi), masks are typically reserved for the villains.
and for the audience, in turn, to vilify them. Even
After all, the series’ most iconic visage is Vader’s. In
more, masks mythologize, allowing us to present a
Star Wars: The Force Awakens, the movie’s new hero
face to the world that is far grander, impressive or
and presumptive Luke Skywalker figure – a desert
intimidating than the flawed one with which we were
scavenger named Rey (Daisy Ridley) – may at first
born. This is why we get a tingling shudder from the
appear hidden in a wrapped cloth and goggles while
cameo by Vader’s mask in The Force Awakens. It seems
combing for junk amidst an abandoned Star Destroyer,
to hold power, power that the movie’s antagonist, Kylo
but once she unveils her face, it remains uncovered for
Ren (Adam Driver), so desperately seeks.
the rest of the film.
An aspiring villain, Ren models himself directly on
More intriguing is how the helmeted mask of
Vader, even “praying” to Vader’s melted mask and
Stormtrooper FN-2187 (John Boyega) comes into play.
asking for help in resisting “the call to the light.” Ren
There is an early battle sequence in The Force Awakens
dons a helmeted visor of his own, dominated by angry
in which a wounded trooper reaches out to FN-2187
silver lines along the forehead and an implacable,
and leaves a bloody streak across the front of his
black-steel snout. Although intimidating, it is
iconic white helmet. Already terrified and disoriented,
ultimately – like the fig leaves in the Garden of Eden –
FN-2187 succumbs to shock and panic. Upon returning
a pathetic gesture. Gregory of Nyssa referred to Adam
to base, he desperately removes his helmet and takes
and Eve’s covering as the "garment of our misery," a
gasping breaths, clearly suffering from post-traumatic
fitting phrase for Ren’s mask. In essence, Ren is torn
stress. A commanding officer passes by (wearing a
between the false and derivative identity he wants to
platinum variation of the same mask) and demands:
create for himself and the full person he was created
“Who gave you permission to remove that helmet?”
to be.
The implied question: Who said you could be human?
That “call to the light” can still be heard, however,
What are we to make of all this veiling imagery, both
both by Ren and by the descendants of Adam and Eve.
in The Force Awakens and other Star Wars films? It’s
Indeed, Ren’s biological connection to one member
true that masks can simply provide protection from
of the resistance haunts him in the same way that
the elements, as they do for Rey in the desert. But they
Vader was haunted by Luke. And so The Force Awakens
also dehumanize, making it easier both for their
builds itself toward another confrontation between
22
father and son, in which the relational dynamic of
as a “religious mask,” He was speaking both of their
Return of the Jedi has been reversed. This time, it is
misguidedness and the way they were trapped by their
the dark child who is pursued by the forgiving parent
stiff, self-righteous identities. Our masks – whether
on the precipice of a vast open space. With sadness,
they’re religious practices, grade-point averages,
exhaustion and a sideways grin of grace, Ren’s father
job titles or inflated social media profiles – similarly
tells him, “Take off that mask. You don’t need it.”
encase us in personas that can be as ill-fitting as
Adam’s fig leaves or Ren’s helmet of steel. You may
There’s something incredibly freeing in that line.
be more vulnerable when you take your mask off and
When Jesus spoke of the hypocrisy of the Pharisees,
stand, just as you are, before God. But that’s also the
which Eugene Peterson translates in The Message
best way to feel the light of grace on your face.
Josh Larsen is editor of Think Christian. He also writes about
movies at LarsenOnFilm and is the co-host of Filmspotting.
EP VII
23
edited by
JOSH LARSEN
designed & illustrated by
SCHUYLER ROOZEBOOM
w w w.thinkchristian.net
Think Christian is one of a family of programs from